Expat Travel Abroad News

It’s possible the early decades of the 21st century will be recognised as the restart button for the human race’s subliminal desire to roam.
Some 60 years or more ago, the term ‘expat’ was set alongside ‘gypsy’ and ‘traveller’ for many Brits who simply couldn’t imagine why anyone would want to leave their country of origin for an unknown fate in a country where English wasn’t spoken. The exceptions who proved this rule mostly headed out on diplomatic missions to lands where no decent Englishman would want to settle...

China’s recent Communist Party National Congress is the latest in a long line of five-yearly get-togethers of the all-powerful party faithful in order to select new leaders and approve new policies.
Expats unconcerned about following the news in Beijing and elsewhere in China may not be interested in the results, but will be affected sooner rather than later. Firstly, and worryingly for digital nomads as well as expats wanting to regularly contact their families and friends in the home country, VPNs are to be far more tightly...

A new report on the plague outbreak in Madagascar notes nine African countries now in danger from the deadly bacterium.
According to a World Health Organisation report, over 1,300 cases of plague have now been confirmed, with some 66 per cent being the deadliest pneumonic form, spread in the air by sneezing and coughing. The disease can kill within one full day after infection, and African nations near the affected island are now under high alert. The infection is caused by the same bacteria as its bubonic form, in which it killed some...

The international expat community in Madagascar are being warned of a rapidly spreading outbreak of plague.
Government departments in Madagascar are warning all expats, residents and visitors to take care as the country’s health authorities rush to stem the rapid spread of the disease known historically as the Black Plague. The plague is endemic in Madagascar, but this year’s outbreak has already killed 94 people and is spreading rapidly. World governments including the UK, UAE and Portugal, have issued updated travel advice, and...

Expats in Nanjing and along the East Coast are in a state of panic due to fake news on an internet chat room.
An article on Expatlife’s WeChat page has caused expats living in Nanjing to panic in case the restrictions described were true. Rumourmongering targeting China’s expat communities is a fairly new phenomenon, but it’s always hard to define what’s true and what’s false in China. The WeChat page quickly went viral with its extreme claims of action against foreign residents in the region, with expats in various, sectors...

As Kuwait’s government and lawmakers continue proposing and introducing measures hostile to foreigners working in the emirate, a law is being introduced requiring exit visas for all expats.
Kuwaiti MP Waleed al Tabtabaei has proposed a measure imposing exit visas for all foreign workers intending to leave the emirate. The law, if adopted, would forbid expats working in the private sector from leaving unless they are granted approval by their sponsors and have received a special permit from the public manpower authority. It’s...

The GCC nations in general may be best for high salaries and luxury living, but expats have voted Oman as the most peaceful of them all.
The 2017 Expat Insider survey, complied by expat networking website InterNations, rated the small country as the most peaceful of all the GCC nations as well as one of the most stable. It’s also the second most popular as a work destination, in the region, and the 17th in the world. Expats living and working in the kingdom agree with the ratings, adding it’s great to be able to go out at night...

Expats and tourists alike were stunned by today’s announcement that smoking will be banned on 20 of Thailand’s main tourist beaches.
It seems the ban was introduced after a report from the country’s Department of Marine and Coastal Resources that employees had picked up tens of thousands of butts from one beach. The report claimed the vast number of discarded cigarette butts represented a third of all the waste commonly found on Thai beaches.
Those breaking the new law are to be fined up to 100,000 baht (£2,280) and...

France is a favourite destination for UK citizens mesmerised by the dream of great food, cheap wine and a romantic rural haven, but the Gallic lifestyle can cause problems.
The majority of British expats who leave the UK for a new life in France settle in without much in the way of problems, but for a few the initial experience is much more than they bargained for. At that point, the French dream becomes a nightmare, with disillusion and regret the order of the day. SOSHelp, an organisation set up to help newbie expats struggling with...

The continuing dispute between Ryanair and its pilots is resulting in chaos for expats’ flight plans within Europe.
Expatriates needing to travel within Europe over the coming weeks are desperately searching for alternatives as Ryanair’s dispute with its pilots drags on. Literally thousands of flights have been cancelled by the airline, which has been accused of and admits its failing to manage pilots’ holiday leave. Even more cancellations are expected as pilots realise they hold all the cards and are now are now demanding new,...